Dallons Leg Thing, Reblog If You Agree

7. Pearl

(n) things that are known or proved to be true

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trigger warnings: bad relationship with parents, mention of hospital and lung disease, mention of a fight, tell me if you see more

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word count: 2654

a.n.: the chapter is not proof read, and there might be some elements lost in translation from my dyslexic French brain to English. Don't hesitate if you noticed mistakes so I could correct them :]

Enjoy!

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Hello Pearl, how are you doing lately? We will have the Jeon over for lunch this Sunday. Why won't you come back home for the weekend? We love and miss you deeply, Your Mom and Dad.

You were looking at this text once again now that you were laying in your old bedroom bed. It has been a while since the last time you happened to be here, but you felt nothing. Nothing hold you back in this household, it wasn’t your home anymore.

Living with your aunt for the last years was the best thing that could happen to you. She was caring, loving, and all the things a child needs to find in a parent. If it wasn’t for the Jeon, you wouldn’t be near this house for another five years.

“Why won’t you come back home for the weekend?”

You glanced at your bag on the side of the desk. Almost empty, nothing aside from a notebook, some pens, your inhaler, and a bunch of medications. Staying wasn’t in your plans, all you were ready to do was to pretend everything between your parents and you were fine in front of the Jeon, and then go back to your dorm to complain about your day to your roommate.

You got out of the bed to sit lazily in the old desk chair, already hoping to be out of this place. Gosh, at least you wished you didn’t come for nothing. The Jeon were friends of the family, old college mates, neighbors for a long time, people you grew up with. Being only one year apart their oldest son, you were always close with the two mini Jeon, unfortunately, this endearing link you had with them disappeared when you moved away.

These thoughts made you wonder if you would see them today. You knew Jungkook was still around as you saw him a few times on the campus, but you had no idea where Junghyun was. You didn’t have a phone when you left, and you were two scared to bother your aunt if you asked her to have the Jeon’s contact, and since you didn’t talk to your parents in a long time, Junghyun situation was a complete mystery to you.

But a question hit you: would he still be your best friend if you didn’t leave everyone to live with your aunt?

You turned on your chair to face the window from where you could see his bedroom, a nostalgic wave hitting you right away. Fuck, it shouldn’t hurt so much. If only you had a phone back then, you would still be in touch to that day.

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A soft knock on your door interrupted your train of thought and you came back to reality. You though it would’ve been your mother but hearing your long-lost neighbor behind the door adding a little “knock knock” made you smile. You didn’t realize the Jeon were already there but it was the perfect timing to prevent you from falling into tears.

“You can come in,” you said loud enough for him to hear while turning your back to the cursed window.

The little-not-so-little boy you once knew slowly entered, a shy smile on his lips. “Hi noona.”

You stood up, looking at him, a bit awkward about what to do before giving in and hugging him tightly. It was the first time in a while you gave in some physical touch outside of your beloved roommate and you didn’t expect it to feel so great, but there it was, feeling like home again.

“Holy fuck, Kookie, you’ve grown up too much!” And he did. Last time you really saw each other was years ago and even if he wasn’t as small as he was when you were kids, the height difference between the two of you had drastically shifted.

You felt his arms tightened up around you as his smile grow bigger. “So I could hug you better!”

“It works,” you laughed, not ready to go out of this embrace yet. It was nice to be hugged.

“How are you doing lately?” he gently asked. “My mom told me you went to the hospital not so long ago, is everything fine now?”

The concern in his voice didn’t go unnoticed and you softened right away. The last thing you wanted was for him to worry about you. “My lungs like to play tricks but it’s nothing the hospital cannot handle, so I’m all good I guess?”

He looked at you with his doe eyes. “You sure I can’t give you my lungs and take yours instead?” It was the first time you heard him say that, he used to try to comfort you like that many many times back in the day.

You hit him in the arm, rolling your eyes. “Silly, you know I wouldn’t even with it on my worst enemy.”

“That’s because you’re your own worst enemy, but I totally would.” You couldn’t help but laugh at his statement, knowing damn well it was true.

The room fell into silence for a few seconds, but it was never an awkward one. You look at him a moment, thinking of how handsome he turned out and how glad you were to spend some time with your little brother at heart again after all this time.

“Tell me, mister Jeon,” you started while you sat on the side of your old bed. “How is everything going with your classes?”

He seemed surprised that you asked at first but happily sat in your desk chair to answer you. “It’s going!” he shrugged. “I guess I’m doing fine, and I have friends I know I can count on anyway so everything is fine!”

A genuine smile appeared on your lips as he talked. “I’m happy for you buddy, you deserve to have friends like that.”

He suddenly got a bit uncomfortable. Or sad. Or both, you couldn’t tell. “I fought with them not so long ago,” he shyly admitted while looking away.

His revelation surprised you, knowing how delicate he always was back in the days. You were taken aback a little, and as your experience with people wasn’t that great, you struggled to find the right question to ask. “Was it a big fight?” He shrugged, and you continued asking. “Are things better now?”

“They are, but not completely? I’m still mad at them, I guess.” He finished hesitantly.

You bit your lower lip, awkwardly putting your hand on his shoulder. Which, by the way, made you look ridiculous as you had to bend over to reach him. “I’m sure everything will work out buddy.”

He smiled at your effort and moved closer to you so you wouldn’t hurt your arm. “Aside from the fight, they are nice people, I swear.”

You asked him more about them and his eyes started to shine when he began to tell you about how he met them and how nice they were to him. You couldn’t help to smile at this endearing story, you were glad to know he’s in good hands, feeling like a proud sister watching your younger sibling making their own friends.

“Noona?” he slowly started to ask after his story ended. You hummed to let him know you were listening and he continued. “Tell me you aren’t doing this alone, please.”

You titled your head, raising an eyebrow, wondering if he saw you being always by yourself around the campus. You bit your lip, sighing at his sad look. “I’m not doing this alone, Kookie.” You tried to reassure him. “I have my roommate aside from my aunt, and that’s enough for me.”

He didn’t seem satisfied with your answer, remembering how his brother used to share his concerns about you with him. “That’s not much,” he eventually muttered after a small silence.

“I’m fine with that number. Even back then I had my two favorite people I was comfortable with, remember?”

“Hyung misses you.” It was so sudden that Jungkook himself was surprised by his words. “He asks me about you from time to time,” he quickly added.

“I miss him too,” you finally said back in a whisper after a moment of trying to hold back your tears. You scolded yourself in your head for being so sensitive over the matter but you couldn’t help it. It was only with him where you could be your true self and it started to get harder to play pretend all the time.

Unfortunately, you still had to put through an act at the moment, and your parents decided it was the best moment to call you for lunch.

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Too many dishes were on the table and you felt overwhelmed. Steam was coming out of the bowls making it harder for you to breath properly, but you didn’t want to burden the Jeon with your complaints so you kept your mouth shut.

Once you came down the stairs closely followed by Jungkook, you were welcomed by the bright smiles of the Jeon. You didn’t realize how much you missed them until they took you into a gentle but full of love embrace.

They seemed happy to see you and you couldn’t help but smile at their bright energy, until you remember your parents were there as well. You straighten your posture and your smile faded a bit.

Everything is fine.

When everyone sat around the table, you could feel the eldest son’s absence more than anything. When you used to eat all together, Junghyun was always on your left and you would have fun while eating, including the younger one in your sweet mischiefs. But he wasn’t there anymore and you could just stare at the empty space where he would usually sit.

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You wanted to stay silent as much as possible but all the attention was on you and you couldn’t just ignore the questions you were asked. You told them how you were doing with your study, how it was sometimes – not to say always – hard to follow while dealing with your condition, how the latter was slowly getting better but you still had to go to the hospital from time to time for a checkup or because you needed to, and had to tell them that a romantic relationship was far from what you wanted at the moment.

You didn’t have much to tell them otherwise. No side job you could talk about, nor time for hobbies of any kinds, nor friends they could possibly know. Fortunately for you, they didn’t insist on asking you questions, and the attention shifted onto Jungkook when his father proudly announced he was in the basketball team and how he was the one who made them win their last match.

“I heard about it yeah, congratulations Kookie!” He shyly smiled at you and you noticed his ears were red. “I was planning on coming to support you but my lungs decided otherwise that day.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty other games you could come to! Oh, wait!” You raised an eyebrow at his sudden idea and you indeed waited for him to continue. “You could come during practice! It would be less people, less noise, less stress, so no bad for your anxiety and your lungs!”

His excitement was so endearing you couldn’t say no, and it was truly a better idea than having to stand next to sweaty strangers. “I’ll come then,” you nodded, only to see his smile widening at your answer.

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It was now the time for them to leave and you went to the door with them for a last goodbye. They were about to go after a last hug you share when you took Jungkook’s sleeve. Because Jungkook didn’t come with his parents you thought it was a great opportunity to finally shoot the shot you never managed to throw since he talked to you in the bedroom. “I should have asked you earlier but why don’t we share our numbers?” you took your phone out of your pocket. “It’ll be easier if we want to talk, don’t you think?”

A big smile appeared on his face and he happily shook his head. “Of course! That way I could also get you updated on the practice sessions and all!”

He took his phone as well and he sent you a purple heart emoji once you gave him your number, which made you smile. He asked to take a photo for your contact profile right away and you gave him your brightest smile with a V sign. Came the time for Jungkook’s contact profile photo and he decided to make a dumb face at the last second, insisting after for you to keep it that way and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“By the way buddy,” you started after you put your phone back in your pocket. “If you ever want to chat or have some food, or watch a movie or whatever, my roommate is often at her girlfriend’s lately. You can come at my dorm whenever you feel like it.”

“You live at the dorms? I never knew!” he exclaimed all smiley after hearing your proposition.

“Well, now you know,” you joked, playing with your eyebrows at the same time.

His smile got bigger when he asked “I’ll see you at the campus then?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you there.” You were both silent for a few seconds before you gently pushed him, feeling like he wouldn’t move otherwise. “Come on, get home safe Kookie.”

He softly laughed, slowly backing away is his hands raised. “Don’t worry for me noona. I’m a big boy now!” And to prove his statement, he started to show off his muscles.

You were now leaning against the doorway, your arms crossed. “I’ll always worry about you, that’s what a big sister is there for, right?”

He threw you a flying kiss and you answered with finger hearts, and you watched him leave with a smile on both of your faces. You stayed there until you couldn’t see him anymore and a loud sighed left your lips.

Apart from being with your parents, the day has been great so far mostly thanks to the mini Jeon. As much as you loved him, it was draining to talk that much to somebody and you were already exhausted.

However, you were happy to see how much he grew up and what kind of man he started to become. This kid has the potential to be something big in the future and now that you saw him again – and that you were about to spend more time with him soon – you couldn’t wait to see him grow even more.

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Your mom called you and you reluctantly made your way inside the house, making sure you closed the door as silently as possible. The last thing you wanted at that moment was to hear your mother scolding you because she can’t bear loud noises.

“You seem to get well with the little one, Pearl.” You rolled your eyes when you knew you were out of sight. “What a shame his brother couldn’t be here, I remember how you used to have a soft spot for him.”

You scoffed. “You remember things about me now? Congratulations.”

“Come on Pearl, don’t be so harsh on your poor mother. I’m trying my best, you know?”

“Don’t waste your time on me,” you sighed. “I know you don’t mean it anyway.” And with that, you were climbing the stairs to go back in your old bedroom. You didn’t want to face her once more but something stopped you midway and you couldn’t help but barked at her “And don’t call me Pearl again, you have no rights too.”

Ten minutes later, you were already on your way to the campus, more than ready for a well-deserved nap you’ll take before you could find the energy to complain to your beloved roommate.

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taglist: @alpacaseoks, @secretlycrazyhummingbird

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There it is, my first written chapter! For the little story, the conversation OC and Jungkook have in the bedroom is the very first thing I've written for Facts and I'm glad to share it with you today. I can't wait to show you more of their relationship!

Unfortunately, it was the last update until August, and I won't have much access to Tumblr during the next two weeks :(

However, feel free to use the ask and tell box during that time (or even after, of course), I'll try my best to answer when I come back!

I 💜 you,

It was Neth talking to you, take care :]

ok but like…the fact that percy and annabeth…percy and annabeth…ie one of the best and healthiest fictional couples that basically invented romance (the slowburn, the nicknames, the first kiss, the realizing feelings, sharing the weight of the world, percy giving up literal immortality for annabeth, the amnesia storyline in son of neptune where annabeth’s name was the only thing percy remembered, just all of house of hades, etc.)…the fact that that couple is going to be portrayed as an interracial couple is just so great, i’m literally going to cry.

do you love the colour of the basilosaurus

NO WAY HOME SPOILERS

Andrew peter: I'm lame :(

Tobey peter:

Happy pride month to all of yall but especially to asexuals, aromantics, straight trans people, and everyone who's in the closet

I’m a cis-gender man which basically means that, when I was born, the doctor went “It’s a boy!” and when I was old enough to understand I agreed with him.

The thing is, I don’t know why I feel like a man.  I was teased and bullied for it a lot when I was little.  I’ve never had stereotypically American male interests.  I never cared about sports or cars or guns.  I was more interested in music and cooking and the arts.  I’ve always been emotionally in tune and sensitive, even when I did my best to suppress my emotions to survive a childhood of abuse from other children.

It’s not physical either.  I don’t feel like a man because I have a penis or a beard.  If you put my brain in a robot body or any other body, my essence would still feel male (I assume).  I literally can’t imagine what being any other gender would feel like, since I feel so acutely male.

I think that’s why the concept of being transgender always made sense to me.  I’m a man.  I don’t have any bloody clue why I feel like a man, but I don’t feel that it’s tied to my body or my interests or the way that I’ve been treated.  I feel like a man because of something beyond that.  Something ephemeral.  So, why couldn’t others feel the same?  Why couldn’t a person who’s been misidentified as a girl feel like a boy for the exact same nebulous reasons that I do?

And, since gender really doesn’t make any sense to me anyway, why couldn’t there also be people who feel as if they don’t have one?  Or who flow across genders like a ship on a map?

Are there people out there whose sense of their own gender is inseparable from their physical form?  If you put those people into robot bodies or, simply, other physically different bodies, would their gender identity also swap?  If so, why?  Are they actually more lost in their gender identity than I am and they need to hone in on the physical in order to anchor themselves?

Why do people feel like they are the gender that they are?

aminals

𝑰𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕 | 𝑲𝒊𝒎 𝑺𝒆𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒎𝒊𝒏

⇢ ❝ 𝑆𝑒𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑒 - 𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛? 𝑁𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡. ❞ ⇢  𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 𝟻.𝟻𝑘 | 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒: 𝟸𝟸 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠 | 𝑆𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑐: 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑊𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 (예뻤어) - 𝐷𝐴𝑌𝟼

✰ University!AU, Fuckboy!Seungmin | 18+  ✰ | Masterlist. 

Pairings: Seungmin x Reader, Jisung x OC, OC x OC.

07. A trip to the mall | < Previous | Next >

Your much too large house felt empty as you sat at your dining table, chin resting atop your hand as you stared at the laptop screen before you. You were glad you'd agreed to go to the mall with Sammy and their friends, even if you'd been reluctant to do so in the beginning. It was hard, moving from place to place, each new destination meaning you'd have to start over time and time again. Some people might've thought it a blessing to get to see the world as you did, but you were beginning to feel as if it were a burden.

This wasn't a new thought, not even slightly. You'd resented the idea of moving for some time now, ever since you'd had to leave Deagu and with it the boy you thought you loved. Hwang Hyunjin, that was his name. You'd only been in high school then, getting through the last of your exams and looking forward to the day you'd get to enrol in the university of your dreams. But, of course, that didn't happen. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here. You'd be with him - like you sometimes still wished you were.

You'd tried long-distance, the both of you promising to stay as close as you could despite the miles and miles between you. Evidently, that never occurred, though. He quickly realised that not seeing you until you were both done with uni and able to fend for yourselves just wasn't an option. You'd thought the same deep down, but you truly believed you loved him enough for none of that to matter.

He'd been your first everything, first kiss, first love, first heartbreak and just as the songs and poems professed, that never did go away. It was the foolishness that you'd felt afterwards that stung the most, though. You'd known this would happen, you'd known you'd have to move away, and yet you'd not let it stop you from falling. How stupid you had been to think you'd ever be able to retain a relationship when you were both worlds away.

Releasing a sigh, you paused the song you were listening to, removing the pink headphones from your head and placing them aside. Silence settled as soon as you'd done so, the only salvation from the white noise the soft pitter-patter of pawed feet. Your cat, a primarily white feline with smudges of beige and brown, was the only company you had on most days. She'd been a gift from your father, one of the many apologies he'd given you in the form of materialistic goods.

You wondered briefly if she was bored of moving too, only just getting enough time to settle before all three of you were packing up and commencing off in the direction of another place to call home for only mere moments.

The sound of your phone chiming pulled your attention from the kitty, your gaze falling upon the lit-up screen. A notification from Sammy greeted you as you reached to open your device, a smile tugging at your lips as you read 'outside!' and typed out a quick response. Slipping on your shoes, you collected your things, shoving them all into a tote bag as you left.

The walk to the end of your drive was a little longer than most, the overgrown grass making it hard to journey across the cobalt path. Cracks and crevises were filled with weeds and infestive greenery, your footing uneven as you pushed open the metal gate of your home. It creaked as you did so, alerting the familiar faces of your new friends from their place in the car.

"Heya, new girl." Sammy smiled, sticking a hand out the open window to wave you over. "You got a nice place." They commented, grin ever-present as they got out of their vehicle to open up the back door for you.

"Thanks." You laughed half-heartedly, returning the enthusiastic wave Mia gave you from her place in the passenger seat. There were notably fewer people than you'd expected, the only other person being Seungmin.

You couldn't lie, you'd hesitated to get in once you'd seen him cooped up in the backseat, legs extended across the area you'd soon be occupying. You'd not had the best first impression of the man, that was indisputable. His attitude left a slightly bitter taste in your mouth, but you weren't going to let a first opinion get in the way of your new forming friendships; even if you were reluctant to make them in the first place.

A smile lit up his delicate features once he'd detected you, body shifting rather quickly to give you room. You offered him a half-smile in response, ducking to get into the car and yielding Sammy a thank you once they'd shut the door behind you.

It was a little cramped, the vehicle being that of a vintage model you didn't know the name of, but you liked it; it had its charms. The inside was a mustard brown, the leather seating rasping mutedly beneath the weight of your body. The steering wheel was the thin kind, perfectly round and joined in the middle by three metal links.

You were surprised to find that it had a radio too, something which appeared to be a custom fit; speakers suitably placed along with it. CD's were crammed into every available space, artists you didn't recognise spread across the covers. A few were obviously mixtapes, the blank discs visible through the transparent plastic covering and the presence of black sharpie pen that scribbled hangul across the fronts.

"Excuse Sammy's music taste. They're going through a phase." Mia chuckled, eyeing you momentarily through the rearview mirror while Sammy got back into the driver's seat.

"Are you talking shit about my music again?" The blonde-haired driver enquired, sending the female a playful glare as they turned the key in the ignition. As they did so, the loud music started up once again, a mix between heavy metal and electronic exuding from the brassy speakers.

"She was." Seungmin chimed in from beside you, voice competing with the volume of the alternative music.

"I don't think it's all that bad." You shrugged, foot-tapping along to the beat of the song as you buckled up your seatbelt. You were an advocate for all types of music, enjoying the production more than the genre itself. Music told stories, the lyrics were the tales, and the tune was the atmospheric resonance that brought the story to life.

"Thank you! See, someone gets it." Sammy grinned, offering Mia a smirk. The girl stuck her tongue out in response, earning a laugh from everyone but Sammy as they shook their head. Turning the steering wheel and pressing their foot down against the accelerator, the four of you sped off in the direction of your destination, the open window sending a breeze through your hair.

The car came to a creaking halt outside the large shopping mall, the four of you exiting the vehicle with an excited demeanour. You were particularly looking forward to the trip, knowing you'd soon be in the company of your favourite things; tubes of paint and other such art supplies. It was almost pitiful how quickly your day could be turned around by such a simple notion, but art stores felt more like home than any of the houses your father had ever afforded you.

"Everyone else is waiting for us inside," Sammy exclaimed, throwing their key's into their zip-up bag while their other hand pointed a finger in the direction of the front entrance. You nodded, trailing behind everyone else as you took in your new surroundings.

The building was expectantly large, plots of closed-off land homing tall trees to give the place a breath of life. Other such natural elements were also strewn across the concrete, flower beds and shrubbery attempting to distract from the vast industrial building that lay ahead. Its exterior was mainly glass, and the few walls that weren't had immense tv screens pressed against them, different commercials cycling the fronts of the construction.

"Never been to a mall before?" A male's voice asked from beside you, your head turning in the direction it came from. Seungmin had fallen a few steps behind, his feet moving in time with your own as he looked at you expectantly.

"Of course, I've been to a mall before." You quipped back, refraining from using a bitter tone as the four of you entered the building. Your gaze left Seungmin to once again inspect the impressive interior, tall ceilings opened up the room to give it an almost paradisiacal appeal. Natural light poured in from the glass roof, sending a golden hue across the reflective surfaces.

"Could've fooled me." He chortled, nudging you with a broad shoulder. You put some distance between the two of you, rolling your eyes at his following comment. "Hey, I don't bite, you know?"

"Could've fooled me." You mimicked his tone, eventually deciding just to quicken your steps as you caught up with the other two. Despite having agreed to be friends with Seungmin, it was blatantly apparent that he wanted to be anything but. What was even more evident to you, if anything could be more so, was that he wasn't your type.

You weren't the kind of person to think you could change someone, to believe that with a little bit of love, you could transform him into a soft-hearted romantic. Movies weren't reality, and tv shows weren't a reflection of life. You'd seen that first hand, the years and years of fighting between your parents as your mother fought for your father's attention, her greatest competitor; his job.

Even when she left, his focus never wavered. People didn't change, not unless they wanted to, and you had a suspicion that Seungmin had no intention of doing so.

That wasn't to say it mattered, though; you knew better now than to start relationships with people who were temporary fixtures in your life. It wasn't worth the eventual heartbreak.

"You hungry? We're gonna grab something to eat before we start looking around." Mia smiled, linking her arm with yours as you made your way through the malls ground floor.

Shops aligned each side of the walkway, wide entrances inviting passersby in with their loud music and array of carefully constructed window displays. People dipped in and out of the stores, paper bags hanging from each of their arms as they spent their time laughing and talking with the people that accompanied them.

"I could definitely eat something." You returned her smile, the distant aroma of various cuisines growing the further you walked. You began to differentiate between them the closer you got, a large hanging sign signalling the arrival of the food court.

The hustle and bustle grew with it as you entered its expanse, the large number of tables taken up by families and groups of teens. The tables were laid out in a sort of circle, with different restaurants and diners surrounding the collective of people in a fragrant grasp. You knew a few of the venues, though some remained unfamiliar.

"They do the best burgers here." Sammy chimed in, their hands clapping excitedly as they led you towards a far table. It was rather difficult to weave your way through them, the loud chatter reminding you of a high school cafeteria as you twisted through the maze-like arrangement. Familiar faces homed the benched table, their hands waving in your direction as soon as their heads lifted to spot you.

"About time you guys turned up." Minho rolled his eyes, hands clutching a menu as he shifted aside, making room for the new arrivals.

"Quit your yapping." Sammy flicked his forehead, ignoring the glare he sent in their direction. You released a soft giggle at their antics, taking a seat beside a beaming Felix, his expression ostensibly, permanently fixed with that of a wide grin. It was contagious, the happiness that seemed to radiate from him like the warmth that was emitted from the sun.

"Hey." He waved, picking up a menu from the sticky surface of the table. "You hungry?" He questioned, positioning it between you so you could see it.

You'd come to like Felix quite a lot, it was hard not to after all, but he also held a child-like ignorance to things. Perhaps the best way to explain him was not the smartest, but what he lacked in mental brightness he made up for with that radiant smile.

"A little." You nodded, fingers raising to tuck your hair behind your ear. "Do you have any recommendations?" You raised a brow, gaze leaving his face to survey the different food items. You quickly deducted it was a pretty standard burger joint, the American-style menu homing items such as shakes and varying sizes of burgers and hotdogs. Beneath each pictured item read a brief description, your attention fixing upon them for only a moment before moving onto the next.

"Can't go wrong with the chicken supreme." He pointed in the direction of said menu item, your gaze following suit.

"Don't listen to him; the bacon cheeseburger is way better." Seungmin chimed in from across the table, earning a hum of agreement from Mia and Sammy.

"That one is super good," Mia added, finger tapping her chin in thought as her eyes narrowed at the laminated menu. "Better than the double whopper, though? Not so sure."

"You guys are all freaks; the hotdogs are the best." Jisung scoffed, his arms crossed over his chest, and his menu placed aside in decision.

"Who chooses a hotdog over a burger?" Minho mumbled in complaint, shaking his head at his friend's comment, his stare not lifting from the menu in front of him.

"Yeah, you're weird." Seungmin mimicked the olders mannerisms, his eyes subconsciously travelling from Jisung to settle upon your features. You weren't paying attention, too busy engrossed in the formerly mentioned males defensive ramblings.

If he'd been listening, he might've laughed at how hot-headed he became over something so trivial, but instead, he was counting the lashes that kissed your cheeks every time your eyes lowered to the menu - your attention shifting back and forth as conversation flowed. He did it so thoughtlessly, simply taking in every little detail of your face as you laughed. The way your lips quirked upwards made him wish he could kiss them; the manner in which your fingers raised to tuck your hair behind your ear made him crave to take your place.

He wanted to be the one shifting your stray strands, wanted to feel your fingertips against his as he moved to intertwine your fingers. It was stupid; he knew that. To allow himself to feel this strongly about someone he barely knew was near insanity, but he wanted to change that. He longed to find out all the small things that made you, you. So far, he knew only frivolous facts, your favourite colour, your major, the shows you watched, but he wanted to know more than what lay upon the surface.

"All I'm saying is burgers are overrated, everything you can do with a burger you can do with a-" Jisung's explanation was cut short the moment Soojun reached up, fingers gently tugging at the male's chin to turn his face. Leaning in, he pressed a rushed kiss to his lips, rendering his boyfriend speechless - an action that earned a chorus of thankful cheers.

"Finally. I've never seen someone so passionate about a fucking hotdog." Minho scoffed, placing his menu aside with a shake of his head.

"What was that for?" Jisung mumbled sheepishly, looking up at Soojun with pink-tinted cheeks.

"You were rambling again, my love." He smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek, further causing the blood in Jisung's face to rise. Grabbing the menu he'd placed aside, he hid behind the plastic-coated paper attempting to find solace behind its laminated defences.

Jisung and Soojun were also two people you'd come to like the more you'd spoken with them. The latter was similar to Felix in that he never stopped smiling, though you were positive that had more to do with Jisung than it did his happy disposition. The former was high-energy. That was the kindest way you could explain his constant rants about everything and nothing all at once. He had a lot to say, and he said it all with a dramatic tone and a passionate expression.

The friend group had a melodic dynamic, each personality seemingly fitting well with the next. Minho was a man of few words, his rare statements usually accompanied by a snappy tone and a curse word or two. He found the strangest things funny, too, laughing at all the wrong times and joking about things you probably weren't supposed to jest about.

Mia matched his temperament well, putting him in his place where she saw fit. She had an attitude about her, but it wasn't the kind you'd come to dislike in most people; she was still kind and held a sweet smile on her lips whenever she said something that might've been perceived as rude if it were anyone else.

Sammy, although not as strong in their presence, still had leadership qualities that would lead anyone to the assumption that they were just that. They had a welcoming demeanour, one that had made it difficult for you to brush them away as you'd wanted to. It was apparent they were very much a people person, wanting everyone to feel comfortable.

Lastly, of course, was Seungmin, but you'd done enough cross-examining on him. He was cocky and held an entitlement that you just couldn't shake. Though, all at the same time, he seemed to have a story of his own behind those brown eyes, which, upon inspection, you were surprised to find were glancing in your direction.

He blinked when your gazes met, his attention shifting back to the menu in his grasp as if it were suddenly rather interesting.

"What's everyone getting, then?" Sammy broke through the hum of chatter, standing with their wallet in hand and phone in the other.

Sipping your cola through the straw, you listened to the conversation that flowed between the group. Lunch had been as delicious as they promised; the food you'd ordered resulted down to the paper packaging it arrived in - its containment a crumpled pile beside you.

"That reminds me, you wanna come to our party next week, new girl?" Sammy smiled, to which you briefly contemplated the offer. You'd not been to a party before. When it came to your previous friends, they tended to be the type that resided in libraries and coffee shops rather than homes swarming with drunken young adults.

"Come on, you gotta!" Soojun chimed in, fingers plucking up some of the fries on Jisung's plate before dipping them in some ketchup and placing them in his mouth. His boyfriend shot him a playful glare, hand moving the paper plate away from him protectively.

"Ah, sure, why not." You laughed softly, fingers raising to tuck your hair behind your ear as you sucked the last of your cola up through your straw, discarding it in the bin along with the rest of your litter.

"Perfect." Sammy clapped their hands together, briefly checking the time on their phone before nudging Mia. "Ready to hit hot topic?" They gleamed, causing the girl to nod her head, an excited grin crossing her features.

"Sure, you guys coming?" Mia addressed everyone else, standing from the table. You mirrored her actions, sliding the tote bag back up your arm to rest it against your shoulder.

"I figured I'd show y/n to the art store before it closes," Felix responded, picking up his rubbish and discarding it.

"I'll come." Minho shrugged, placing his rucksack over his back as he stood.

"Aright, cool, what about you three." Mia enquired, looking between Soojun, Seungmin and Jisung.

"Soo and I are watching a movie." Jisung grinned.

"Oh nice, what you watching?" Felix questioned, face lighting up at the pair's plans.

"Venom two," Jisung spoke, his hand reaching out for his boyfriends in a manner that appeared subconscious.

"You're watching venom two!" The Aussie protested, mouth ajar and eyes wide as he slowly turned to you. His expression changed to that of a child about to ask their parent for another piece of candy, his gaze twinkling with a childish hope mixed with an apologetic mien.

"Go ahead. I'm sure I can find my way around." You spoke right away, a giggle passing your lips. You didn't want to keep Felix away from the movie he so clearly wanted to watch, you weren't about to be the person who swept that warm smile from his lips, not even for a moment.

"I can take you; I was gonna check out the music store anyway. It's right next door." The voice that spoke had you turning in their direction, your brows raising when your stare fell upon Seungmin.

If you were being honest, you'd rather find your own way, allowing yourself to spend as long as you wanted within the walls of the art store but there was something about his giddy grin and willingness to help that had you nodding in defeat. "Oh, I mean, yeah, sure, that's fine." You gave him a tight-lipped smile in response, fingers clutching the straps of your tote bag a little tighter.

"Meet you guys back at the car?" Sammy questioned, already making their way back through the sea of dining tables.

"See you later." You nodded affirmatively.

Your eyes were filled with wonder, fingers running across the shelves of art supplies as you took in the varying brands of watercolours. You knew each of them well. There were the tubes of paint; better for larger pieces of work and refilling pans in dire situations. The half pans were your favourites, they were easier to control the amount of paint that filled the paper. Watercolour pencils and pastels were the next things that came into view, their neat boxes in stacks. They were a good cheat method, for those who weren't yet comfortable with the steadiness of their hand and you'd used them on many occasions when you didn't feel like spending too long on a piece.

"Found what you're looking for?" Seungmin's voice broke you from your browsing, smile faltering as you looked over at him dubiously. You'd forgotten he'd even accompanied you, your attention solely on the supplies that surrounded you.

The shop was quaintly sized, shelves aligning the interior walls and extending upwards towards the low ceiling. Each shelf was full of different products, arranged in such a way that made it easy to find what you needed and if it wasn't upon one of the positioned shelves then it was surely presented upon one of the centred stands.

There was that all too familiar smell of paint and chalk in the air, it was bitter but not unpleasant and it reminded you of the dimly lit art studios your new university homed. The shop owner had clearly attempted to cover the armour, though, as flowers sat strewn in various corners of the shop, wherever there was a space, a vase would settle.

"Are you ignoring me?" He whined, earning a blink of surprise from you as you turned away from the store to face him again.

"And why would I be ignoring you?" You addressed him quizically.

"I don't know cause you think I'm annoying?" He shrugged, and you couldn't help but feel a little bad when a disappointed expression crossed his face. It was only for a moment and if you weren't paying attention you might've missed it but you didn't, you saw it in the way his lips downturned at the corners before moving upwards into a half-smile.

"Well you are annoying but that's no reason to ignore you." You giggled, nudging him gently before directing your attention back towards the shelves of paints. "I just need some watercolours." You motioned, gaze sauntering over the different brands and types in search of one in particular.

"Ah, that's what those are." He said in what you guessed what realisation. "What do they... do?" Seungmin asked, a hand tucking into his jean pocket as he leaned against the shelf beside you.

"What- they're paints, you use them to paint." You laughed, almost in disbelief at his question.

"And that one?" He questioned, pointing towards the half pans.

"Also paint." You shook your head, refraining from rolling your eyes as you picked up one of the boxes and inspected it to make sure it was the right one.

"Which ones are your favourite?" Seungmin enquired and you had to wonder where all of these questions were coming from, was he genuinely curious? Or was this another of his attempts to get into your pants as soon as the opportunity arose?

"Out of the watercolours this one." You raised the box in your hand, showing it to him momentarily before you began to head towards the counter, stopping off at the brushes along the way.

"And overall?" He spoke once more, following after you as if you were bound together by an invisible thread.

"The gouache. Those ones." You pointed in the direction of the paints, their positioning closest to the till.

"Oh, cool. Why are they are your favourites?" His questions would be becoming somewhat exhausting if it wasn't for the topic. You could never tire of discussing various hues of product or the varying types at that.

"Well, watercolours are great but sometimes the colouring isn't as strong and I prefer something closer to acrylic, but the problem with normal acrylics is they can dry with texture and I'm not a huge fan of that so gouache is a good medium between both- what? Am I rambling?" You laughed, watching as his expression turned from interested to slightly lost.

"A little but it's cute." He winked, his hand falling to the small of your back to guide you towards the cash register.

"Whatever." You rolled your eyes, ignoring the slight blush that crept upon your cheeks at his comment. It was one thing to be bombarded with pick-up lines and flirtatious attempts in your dm's but it was another to hear him say it in person.

You listened to the beep of the scanner as your watercolours were placed through the system, the two brushes you'd picked up following suit. With a smile, you thanked the cashier, going into your tote bag to reach for your purse. You were quickly beaten to it, however, by an extended hand, a card that wasn't yours being pressed atop the machine.

"What are you doing?" You asked the man, who looked at you slightly wide-eyed.

"Nothing! Just making up for being annoying." He smiled, one that suited him far better than the smirk he often wore.

"You didn't have to!" You objected, placing the purchased items safely into your bag.

"Yeah, I know. I wanted to though." He chuckled, his hand falling back at the small of your back as he led you out of the store. You allowed him to do so, caught up in the melodic chiming of whatever song it was that came and went as you exited the art store and took exactly four steps in the direction of the music shop. "The music stores just here, let me know if it's too boring," Seungmin added with a chuckle, to which you offered him a smile.

"No that's okay, I love music." You shrugged, walking beside him as you stepped into the small store. You were instantly hit with the muted aroma of aged record sleeves and something akin to the scent that lingered in old libraries.

On one side, the store was covered with different music books, those that taught the individual in just about any area of music from brass to string instruments. You noted that they all looked second hand, it gave the expanse a retro appeal, the manuals looking to be dated. Away from the walls, boxes upon boxes filled the left side of the store, records homing each of the containments. From what you could see, the edges were frayed, the covers creased and deteriorated from their years of use.

It was a much nicer environment than that of the music stores you'd been in before, their merchandise crisp and clean; as good as new and without signs of love or use.

"You do? I've got something to show you then." His smile widened, your brows raising suspiciously at whatever it was he was suggesting.

"What is it?" You spoke dubiously, allowing him to lead you with a tug of your sleeve. Rearing right, you wove your way through the stands of cd's and towards the far corner of the store.

"You'll see." He responded in a sing-song voice, pointing towards a somewhat hidden area of the room. Although not completely out of view, its position behind stands of CD's meant that people's view of it was obscured. The light was duller here too, shadows casting across the poster-covered walls. Various bands covered the surface, ranging from the 90s to the 60s, their appearance damaged and warped. "Know what it is?" He questioned, redirecting your attention.

His finger was pointed in the direction of two pairs of headphones, the bridges that sat atop ones head positioned on a hook. Above them, a screen was stuck to the wall, various artists and songs cycling its front. "I don't think so." You laughed softly, although you could make a few guesses.

"It's a silent disco." He grinned, removing the nearest headphones and lifting them to place them gently over your ears. You continued to look at him sceptically, watching as he browsed through the songs; finger swiping across the tablet. Pressing play on a band called day6 you listened as the song began, your face lighting up subconsciously as the loud music reverberated around your ears, stilling your thoughts and replacing it with the melody.

"This is good!" You spoke a little too loudly, unable to determine the volume of your voice. Seungmin laughed at this, wide smile still pressed against his lips and you couldn't help but think that this side of him was far easier to bear.

"Wait! We have to listen together." He urged, pressing pause on the song before loading up the same one on the second screen, placing the spare headphones atop his head he found the same song. You dragged the little indicator towards the start of the song with a keen smile. "Okay ready? 3... 2... 1... Go!" He articulated enthusiastically, the two of you pressing play on the song in unison.

Bobbing your head to the beat of the song you watched with a smile as he did a mindless dance, his eyes fluttering shut as his mouth moved along with the lyrics of the song. Curiously, you slowly removed the headphones and sure enough, he was singing along, soft voice causing your heart to skip a beat. You couldn't help but grin at him as he sang, hitting every note in succession as he continued to dance along to the beat.

"You were pretty, your eyes that looked at me, your voice that called out to me." He sang, tone undertaking a hint of sadness that you easily deducted as him getting invested in the emotions of the song. You were about to place your headphones back on your head, when his eyes opened once again, gaze slowly travelling to you with a hint of a smile.

"Hey! You weren't listening?" He objected when he noticed you staring at him and Seungmin felt his heart flutter. You were looking at him with such a softness, your pretty eyes dancing with something he couldn't quite place. He wished he knew what it was, he wasn't the certainty of knowing how you felt, something he always knew how to find in other girls.

It was obvious, blatantly so, how other girls felt about him. He could see it in their smiles, could hear it in their overly feminine giggles as they attempted to catch his attention. You, however, were not like everyone else, and although that was cliche it wasn't for the reasons they wrote about in love stories. He just couldn't read you. Couldn't tell what you were thinking, couldn't begin to distinguish your smiles.

"I was listening to something better." You beamed, placing the headphones back on the hook.

"Ya, now who's flirting?" He laughed, ignoring the heat that rose in his cheeks as he shook his head, mirroring your actions.

"That's not flirting!" You protested, nudging him in slight annoyance as he chuckled some more.

"Sounds like flirting to me." Seungmin teased, nudging you back.

"Oh please." You scoffed, turning to head back in favour of browsing the different second-hand merchandise. As you did so, Seungmin followed after you, an unmistakable and unwavering grin atop his lips as he found himself concluding that perhaps friends wasn't so bad after all.

This thought continued as he stood beside you, your fingers flicking through the different records and where he would ordinarily be doing the same, he instead stared in silent adoration as you skimmed through each one. If it meant that he got to see you smile, this close, this near, if it meant he got to hear you laugh; to be the reason for it all then friends was fine. Friends was great.

A/N: uuuuuughhh hope this was okay! Thanks for loving this series,, and for all of your patience means a lot <3 doing a double upload today as this one was late.

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